Broken Wrist Sidelines Buddy Jewell

Jewell, the first winner of the "Nashville Star" singing competition, was hurt in a fall from a ladder while hanging Christmas lights at his Nashville home Nov. 19. He underwent surgery last Wednesday to insert three screws and a two-inch metal plate on his left wrist. Jewell decided against performing in a 20-city Great American Country Christmas Tour that runs from Thursday through Dec. 21.

He is being replaced by "American Idol" alumnus Bucky Covington. Also on the bill are Deana Carter, Julie Roberts, Blue County and Steve Azar.

"I am sure some of y'all have already purchased tickets for the Christmas tour, and we strongly encourage you to still go," Jewell's wife, Tene, wrote on the Web site. "It's going to be a great show, and I would hate for y'all to miss out because of Buddy's unfortunate accident."

Getting On The "Brand" Wagon

"Fibber McGee and Molly," "The Jack Benny Show," "NBC," "The Mighty 690," "77-WABC," "Color Radio," "93 KHJ," "Westinghouse Broadcasting, KDKA," "WCCO, real radio," "WSB, Atlanta," "Paul Harvey News," "The Big 8," "The best variety," "Kay Lite," "CHUM," "EZ," "The most music," "CKNW," "Magic," "Continuous country," "12 in a row," "Mix," "New."

There, in 50 words or less, is a history of "brand identity" on American and Canadian radio.

I wanted to remind you that the concept of building brand awareness and recognition has been around for quite awhile in the radio business. That seems necessary because blogs have popped up in the past year or two promoting the concept of brand loyalty marketing and research as if they had invented the idea.

Perhaps a reality check is in order here.

I remember when we all started doing callout, then focus groups, then diary reviews, then auditorium music research, strategic planning sessions, perceptual studies, cluster analysis, multi-variant crosstabs, "fit" testing, diary-based research, market segmentation and now brand identity research.

All of them have been valid techniques to solve certain sets of problems. Yet, it seemed like each somehow replaced its predecessor, making it useless and outmoded. If you weren't doing the absolute latest research and marketing technology, you were just simply OUT of it.

That brings us to the current fad, "brand loyalty" research.

Having observed some very aggressive radio stations which were doing the most sophisticated research and marketing tactics being beaten handily by "less state of the art" radio operators, I've learned a thing or two about lemmings, those omnipresent radio birds.

The concept of researching brand loyalty is based on a truism - the average person will listen to three radio stations per week. Arbitron and BBM researchers claim that 96% of all radio listening is encompassed by these three positions on the average radio listener's hierarchy of usage. PPM usage data has shown that the average listener actually visits more than twice as many radio frequencies in the average week.

So, the question is -- if you're station #4 in the average radio listener's mind in your market, you may be able to build higher cume audience, but you'll never get your fair share of time spent listening until you can climb at least into that #3 ‘top of mind’ spot.

The Kirby Confer Group created the "Kay-Frog" brand in both San Bernadino-Riverside (KFRG), in Altoona (WFGY) and in other Ohio and Pennsylvania markets to brand their stations as fun, irreverent and entertaining. Clearly, the brand worked. Frogs are now quite successful in markets from Santa Rosa to Gainesville.

“Young Country” built a powerful brand in Little Rock, Detroit, Dallas, San Francisco and Seattle in the early 1990’s, but only one of those stations (WYCD, Detroit) continues to exist.

Two decades ago, Seattle’s #2 ranked country station (KRPM) called on New York advertising guru Dale Pon to create a "brand" that would render KMPS' "12 in a row" brand useless as a benchmark for owning the "most music" brand in country listeners' brains.

Pon, who previously created the very successful "Flex Your Plex" campaign that had built KPLX a "brand" in Dallas, gave birth to "Twice As Much Country Music."

After an expenditure of considerably more than half a million dollars in media advertising, KRPM abandoned the "Twice As Much" brand, and then adopted a totally different brand - K-106. That station is now pop CHR KISS 106.1, of course, and now Entercom is coming up on its first year of building 100.7 the Wolf (KKWF) as an emerging country brand in the Puget Sound.

Following the success of KPLX’s relaunch a few years ago as "The Sound of Texas 99-5 The Wolf," Wolves have popping up from Cincinnati, Portland to Nashville and many points in between.

Will this one be as memorable as "Kay Frog," still around and successful two decades from now? Or, as forgettable as "Twice As Much Country"?

How about “Jack,” “Bob,” "Earl," and "El Patron?"

Time will tell.

Meanwhile, this much I know. As Coca Cola learned when it attempted to change its formula, a successful brand identity takes years to build and can be lost very quickly.

Creative, forceful brand identities endure over time.

This is true with Ivory, Hertz, GM, WGN, KMOX, WLW, WPOC, KILT, KNIX, Country 105, KMLE, JR-fm and, maybe - in your market - YOUR call letters.

If you need a new brand identity, we would be happy to help in the process of researching and innovating one. However, there is quite a bit of brand switching going on in our medium today. THAT alone might possibly be the best argument for NOT changing your current brand identity, as long as its working positively for you.

"Be what you are, intensively" is a great prescription for success in any field. Can listeners care or recall what you are, when what you are changes or is several different things simultaneously?

The current crop of excellent research people doing brand awareness and loyalty research will no doubt spawn many exciting and successful "brands" that will be touted widely.

They will sound sexy and alluring.

And, it will be tempting to tag some of them onto your current identity. Or, replace your current brand name with a new one.

If you're considering a change in identity, A&O would recommend asking your audience before you do it. But, if your ratings are good and your station is well positioned in your market (we can help determine this), there is no reason to change identities just because it's the "in thing" to do.

Or, as Coke discovered, you could be making a "classic" mistake.

Country Music Dominates People's Choice Awards Nominees

Queen Latifah will host "The 33rd Annual People's Choice Awards," to be broadcast live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 9 (9:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on CBS-TV.

The first awards show of 2007 (click to vote) honors favorite performers in television, motion pictures and music and country performers figure prominently among all genre Peoples Choice awards categories and all of the Favorite Male Singer nominees are country singers, TRACE ADKINS, KENNY CHESNEY and TOBY KEITH. Meanwhile, two of the three Favorite Female Singers are country, FAITH HILL and CARRIE UNDERWOOD. Rascal Flatts' "Life is a Highway" appears in both the Favorite Remake category and Favorite Song from a Movie (for Cars).

PEOPLE'S CHOICE NOMINEES (PARTIAL LIST)
Favorite Female Singer
Faith Hill
Shakira
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Male Singer
Trace Adkins
Kenny Chesney
Toby Keith

Favorite Remake
"Crazy" by Alanis Morissette
"Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts
"Save the Last Dance for Me" by Michael Bublé

Favorite Song from a Movie
"Crazy" by Alanis Morissette from The Devil Wears Prada
"Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts from Cars
"Real Gone" by Sheryl Crow from Cars

Favorite Country Song
"Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood
"What Hurts The Most" by Rascal Flatts
"When the Stars Go Blue" by Tim McGraw

Troy Gentry Press Statement

Gentry, 39, and Lee Marvin Greenly, 46, who owns Minnesota Wildlife Connection near Sandstone, were charged in August with conspiracy and falsely "tagging" the "trophy-caliber" bear by claiming it was shot in the wild. In reality, the tame bear was shot in a fenced area of several acres. After the indictment, Gentry's Nashville agent shifted the blame for any improper conduct to Greenly, and online fan discussion forums were abuzz with debate over whether Gentry was a bona fide big-game hunter or a wannabe.

Gentry, in a statement released by his management company, said he regrets what happened, but he stops short of accepting any culpability other than relying on Greenly's guidance.

"I did participate in improperly tagging the animal I shot, without realizing the seriousness of what I was doing. For that, I am truly sorry," the statement said. "I relied on the experts around me for guidance, and I regret that today. Not so much because I was fined and punished, but because it appears that I don't have respect for the law." He says the legal case "has been a humbling experience for me, and one which I deeply regret."

Gentry's attorney, Ron Meshbesher, of Minneapolis and the U.S. attorney's office worked out the plea bargain last week, and Gentry entered his new plea Monday morning before U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson, sitting in Duluth. In return for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped a felony count against Gentry. "It was emphasized by the judge … that he was merely charged with an improper tagging where the bear was killed," Meshbesher said. "The bear was legally harvested.''

Toby Keith Hooks Up With Wounded Warriors

From Army News Service (click to read the entire press release): Country music superstar Toby Keith rocked the stage, and a few Soldiers' world, at a private concert Sunday for 14,000 Texas Ford truck owners and about 500 servicemembers at the AT&T Center in downtown San Antonio.The military invite was courtesy of Ford Motor Company and Texas Ford Dealers, sponsors of the free concert, "Toby Keith's Hookin' Up and Hangin' Out Tour."

For more info: Elaine Wilson, Fort Sam Houston Public Affairs, who picked up this quote from TK..

"We do that everywhere we go," said Keith, referring to the military "hook up." "If there are tickets available, we try to make sure the military is taken care of."

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Dixie Chicks - Free Speech? Or, Censorship?

Woman to women: Shaunti Feldhahn, a right-leaning columnist, spars with Diane Glass, a left-leaning columnist.

Meanwhile, the folks who field Callout America for Radio and Records just did a snap poll for A&O of the same 25-54 national sample of country radio users they use to test music for R&R:

Now that you've seen the Dixie Chicks on TV promoting their movie "Shut Up & Sing" on Oprah, Today Show, Good Morning America & Larry King discussing their situation, what should radio do?

* Play their music more? 31.36% of 25-54 women say 'yes' but only 20.73% of males tested agreed.
* Play their music less? 34.32% of the women agree with that and 53.66% of the men did.

A&O client stations have access to the complete study, of course.

Investor Calls Clear Channel Sale "Too One-Sided"

Financial Post reporter Barbara Shecter had this story on Saturday: Some shareholders, including Canadian fund manager Larry Sarbit, are unhappy with (last) week's multi-billion-dollar sale of Clear Channel Communications Inc. A private equity group led by Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital Partners said on Thursday it intends to buy Clear Channel, the largest radio company in the United Sates with more than 1,100 stations, for $19-billion, a roughly 10% premium to the share price. But some shareholders say the deal is detrimental to them because it offers more benefits to insiders -- namely the Mays family that founded the San Antonio, Tex.-based media conglomerate.

"This was an extremely one-sided deal," said Mr. Sarbit, whose firm, Winnipeg-based Sarbit Asset Management Inc., owns Clear Channel shares in a portfolio of 10 to 15 companies, primarily based in the United States. "I suspect there are others who feel this way. It's particularly galling to sit here as a public shareholder ... and watch them sell the assets off, knowing we won't benefit from any of it," he added that Clear Channel is being sold just ahead of an expected turnaround in performance, the benefit of which is not reflected in the price Thomas Lee and Bain are paying for the company.

Lon Helps Taylor Swift Talk To Tim McGraw

Ever since Taylor Swift released her debut single, "Tim McGraw," the most-asked question she's received is "have you heard from Tim?" Up until now, Taylor only received indirect messages from Mr. McGraw.

But last week, Taylor received direct confirmation from the superstar himself. Tim was co-hosting the nationally syndicated CMT's Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton. When Lon reached #10 in the chart, he asked Tim what he thought the first time he heard the song. Tim replied, "It was awesome. I didn't know if I should take it as a compliment, or if I should feel old." At that point, Lon said, "Well let's find out. Taylor Swift, is it a compliment, or because he's old?" Taylor responded, "Definitely it was meant as a compliment." The two chatted about the song for about 4 minutes, and their entire conversation can be heard next weekend, December 2-3, on CMT's Country Countdown USA. Judging from their first conversation, it sounds like a friendship has been born (..at least that is how Big Machine's John Zarling heard it..).

Tanya's Dad Dies, But "The Show Must Go On"

(Photo courtesy of Tanya Tucker) Boe Tucker, a country music manager who was the guiding force in his daughter Tanya Tucker's career, died Thursday of lung cancer. He was 79.

"Boe was driven and committed to Tanya and contributed greatly to her career," said Bill Carter, who managed Tanya during the 1970s. "Especially when she was young, he traveled with her, was there with her all the time, and made it possible for a 13-year-old to have a career.

The 48-year old Tanya was in Nashville on Friday, where she decided to fulfill her obligation to perform in Reno, Nev., this weekend. "He would want her to work," said her publicist/assistant, Laura Lacy. "He would want her to go ahead and do what she needed to do. This has been the dynamic for 40 years. It was so much about work and the management relationship they had. Although it was father and daughter, it was a lot about business, too."

Other celebrity news from Sunday's Nashville paper: Vogue magazine's December cover girl Nicole Kidman says of Nashville, "This is my home now. This is the most time I've spent anywhere in years. I wanted to be earthed, and I didn't feel earthed for so long, maybe not since I was a child. It feels like I can feel my skin. "I don't feel like I'm floating around, which was how it had been for many years, probably because I wasn't that happy. So now it's the first time that I'm sort of breathing in everything and saying," she says, gasping for illustration. "I feel such gratitude for being alive, rather than just taking that for granted."

In the interview conducted before her husband, Keith Urban, entered rehab, she says that she's reduced her professional engagements, working only three months this year.

Sugarland Plays At Atlanta Falcons-New Orleans Saints Game Sunday (11/26)

Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles will perform the National Anthem at their hometown Atlanta Falcons game and will also perform at half time. The game starts at 1pm.

Dallas Morning News Reviewer Likes Carrie At Halftime, But Pans Her LP

Mario Tarradell wrote "Clarkson, Underwood also come off the field as winners.." but then dipped his pen into some poison:

"As for Ms. Underwood – she of the fresh face, tuneful if unremarkable voice and array of pop-heavy songs passed off as country – her stage stint was actually decent. Considering she was on for a mere six minutes and there was so much sensory overload around her – the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders dancing, a few male dancers in black cowboy hats, some Cirque du Soleil-style trapeze acrobats and plenty of splashy pyrotechnics – she held her own. Her performance of two songs, "We're Young and Beautiful" and "Before He Cheats," from her debut album, Some Hearts, seemed more relaxed and on-cue than her off-the-mark forgettable time on the platform earlier this month during the Country Music Association Awards. It helped that she closed with "Before He Cheats," the only cut deserving of a second listen on her otherwise lame disc. Also, Ms. Underwood looked kind of hip in knee-high white boots, jeans, a glittery tank top and hoop earrings. For a brief spell, she sure was pleasant enough ear and eye candy."

Our pal Neil Haislop watched the show with more supportive eyes after getting a Carrie quote earlier in the week:

"This year at Thanksgiving I'm not going home and I swore this year I was going home, but then they wanted me to sing at the halftime show at the Dallas-Buccaneers game in Dallas. And I was like, 'Yeah, for sure' because it's such a Thanksgiving tradition especially around Oklahoma watching the Dallas game on TV, so I was very excited to be doing that, so I have a lotto be Thankful for this year," said Carrie as she prepared to leave for Dallas Tuesday. CARRIE was center stage as Cirque du Soleil-style acrobats dangled from therafters of Texas Stadium as the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders provided the sexy, chorus line dance action. Carrie rocked as she climbed and descendedbig staircases on the set, singing with the confidence and style of aperformer with three times the experience she has so far."

Sara Evans' "You'll Always Be My Baby" Becomes A Book

Sara and the co-writers of "You'll Always Be My Baby" have released a book based on the song.

Pew Study: Podcasting Still For Early Adopters Only

Some 12% of internet users say they have downloaded a podcast so they can listen to it or view it at a later time. However, few internet users are downloading podcasts with great frequency; just 1% report downloading a podcast on a typical day. View PDF of Report

Looked at another way, that's already ALMOST as many who own and listen to satellite radio on a daily basis! The more great content podcasts offer them, the faster this emerging medium will grow. Terrestial radio has a great platform to promote all forms of internet content distribution. Will we wait on the sidelines for the competition to do so?

Music City News: McGraw Cruises, TK and TT Support Charities

Tim McGraw will be the headlining act on the Carnival Liberty during the Country Cruise Getaway taking place January 28-31, 2007.
Chris Cagle, Blue Collar Comedy tour veteran Bill Engvall, Jypsi, Hot Apple Pie, Jamie O'Neal and Nashville Hitmakers are also slated to appear during the super-liner’s three-day trip to Nassau, Bahamas. In addition to multiple concerts while the ship is at sea, there are a wide variety of popular, onboard activities such as relaxing by the pool, working out in the ship's state-of-the-art gym, indulging in a massage or facial, dining in one of the ship's four restaurants and enjoying the atmosphere in the many bars and lounges. The ship also offers a fun and entertaining Camp Carnival for kids from 2 to 14 years old, as well as a teen program, Club O2, for older kids. This all-inclusive package offers travelers one price that will cover all concerts, accommodations and meals. Reservations and accommodations are on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on this unique fan adventure, go to the official website at www.McGrawCruise.com or call 888-487-3603.

Trent Tomlinson is partnering with FitzBradshaw Racing to produce the "Tour of Hope", a series of concerts benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
The concerts will take place the evening before the NASCAR Busch Series race in select markets. The first concert was Oct. 12 in Charlotte, N.C., with more to follow in Memphis, Ft. Worth and Homestead, FL.

Toby Keith has teamed up with a charity called Race For Education by submitting two of his race horses for a scholarship program.
Toby has agreed to donate of percentage of a horse’s future earnings to Race For Education, a national education scholarship foundation funded by various parties related to or with an interest in the Thoroughbred racing industry. The two horses Toby put forward are T.K.’s Whiskey Girl and a filly named Our Emblem.

Michael Peterson: Family Made Him Leave, Patriotism Brought Him Back

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher DeWitt, USAF

Michael Peterson, courtesy of the USO, speaks to servicemembers at Forward Operating Base Gardez, Afghanistan, on Nov. 23. He performed songs and gave thanks for the sacrifice and inspiration of all those in the military.

Peterson traded hats with a young soldier who's a huge country music fan. Army Spc. Candace Smith walked away with Peterson's cowboy hat, which he had hand carried from the states in a protective plastic case, and he'll wear a 10th Mountain Division baseball cap home tomorrow. "He was great," Smith said. "I loved it!" Then Peterson got serious, earning respect and cheers from many in the standing-room-only crowd when he explained that he left the music industry 10 years ago as he was on the cusp of being a household name. After 700 concerts in fewer than three years, he was on the verge of sacrificing his family for stardom when he decided to leave it behind.

"It was a lousy career decision, but I've still got my family," he said. "And you know what I figured out? If you're lucky, you'll maybe get a second chance to do with your life what you love to do whether you're famous or not, but you may not get a second chance at your family. So I know I made one of the greatest decisions I ever made." But patriotism drove him back into music. "I knew that I still loved to do music. What happened to me was a daughter who became a battalion commander in a Junior ROTC group of about 350 high school students, combined with 9-11, combined with seeing a cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine with Pat Tillman on it and how deeply that moved me and inspired me," Peterson said at Bagram.

K-92, Orlando and WYRK, Buffalo Are Hunting Turkeys

Here's the deal: WYRK's Clay Moden is a hunter, but PD Wendy Lynn states: "No animals were harmed during the execution of this promotion. Did we say execution? We meant no animals were harmed during the orchestration of this promotion. Save Wally, buy a tee, help the Buffalo City Mission."

Also this week, "The K92FM Morning Show hosted the 2nd Annual Celebrity Pro Am Turkey Shoot at Orlando Paintball in support of Second Harvest Food Bank. Celebrities included Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary, FOX35 News Anchor Amy Kaufeldt and Reporter Christine van Blokland, Orlando Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell and Orlando Magic's Pat Williams. It was an incredible morning!" Click to watch the video.

Profiting From Change

Management consultant Robert B. Tucker of the Innovation Resource, Santa Barbara, California, first came to my attention 16 years ago when he was a keynote speaker at the Radio and Records Convention. Since that time, I have read everything he has written.

He notes that in self-talk there are four modes of thinking:

1. The victim. Thinking process is inactive.
2. The sustainer. Thinking process is reactive.
3. The dreamer. Thinking process is active.
4. The innovator. Thinking process is PRO-active.

Tucker says that there are eight "Roadblocks to Creativity":

1. Seeing things (jobs, staff meetings, duties) the same old way
2. Not looking for better, quicker, less expensive ways to get results
3. Not seeing problems as problems but as 'the way things are'
4. Not believing your ideas are good enough
5. The same problems keep coming up again and again
6. Feelings of being overwhelmed, putting out fires
7. Feeling bored (sustainer mode predominant)
8. Not listening to others' ideas, not acting on them

Techniques for getting "unstuck":

1. Change environments (i.e. move the staff meeting to a new location)
2. Gather more information on the situation
3. Harvest more ideas
4. Challenge your assumptions
5. Listen to fools
6. Ask dumb questions
7. Set aside a time each day for "dream space"
8. Sleep on it
9. Make lists: download ideas as they occur
10. Brainstorm with DIFFERENT people. After the staff fails to find a solution, invite a group of listeners (or NON-listeners) to brainstorm the same situation

Where innovators generate ideas:

1. Broad-based reading
2. Listening to customers
3. Adapting from other industries
4. Actively looking for problems to solve

AMA Winners, Speeches and No-Shows

Rascal Flatts, Carrie, Faith, Tim, Toby Keith AMA Winners:

AMA Favorite New Breakthrough Artist-All Genre AMA award winner: Carrie Underwood:

"First I want to thank God, and thank you fans, very much! Not just my fans but the fans of every genre in this room, you're the reason we do what we do and have jobs. Thank you. I want tothank my date thank my date tonight, my Mom, Arista, Arista Nashville, Simon, thank you AMAs and God Bless."

Faith Hill did not attend the awards, but won the AMA for Favorite Female Country artist, beating out Underwood, who was gracious backstage when asked about Faith's CMA 'glitch' in her otherwise run of bigsuccess: "She contacted me before the show was over, and I never would've thought anything bad of her since she is such a nice person,. We were good the night it happened and then it just blew up and I felt so bad for her because she¹s so nice and doesn't deserve that."

Rascal Flatts won favorite country group, country favorite band, duo or group and the other fan-voted award, theT-Mobile Text-in Award: "Wow, this goes to the fans, thank you, (Joe Don). We want to thank God for giving this amazing opportunity to be on a stage every single night and to be able to showcase the talents that he's given us. We¹ve got an amazing band and I think we¹ve seen all of you at least one time this year, maybe twice (Gary). And for all you wondering what a Rascal Flatt is, here we are baby," concluded Jay DeMarcus. "See you all in 2007," the group shouted.

Though Toby Keith was named the AMA Favorite Male Artist, he did not attend the show to pick up his award personally.

Faith Hill was awarded the Favorite Female country artist award, and Tim McGraw's "Greatest Hits Volume 2" CD was named country album. Neither could attend the show to accept their awards.

QX-104.1's Ron Able Snags Winnipeg Harvest's Dixie Chicks Empty Bowl

Able is smiling after the second annual "Empty Bowls Celebrity Auction" because a bowl designed by the Dixie Chicks went for $550 put up by Ron. I told him that he could sell it on EBay for lots more than that today, and he clutched the bowl, saying "NO way." It holds a place of honor in his home.

Three other bowls -- autographed by singers Neil Young and Joni Mitchell and pro basketball star Steve Nash -- are posted on the online auction site Ebay from now until Thursday, but NOT Ron's!

WQYK Guitar Auction Raises $27,000 In St. Petersburg

Heidi Heinz, WQYK-FM & AM Director. of Marketing & Promotions (727-563-8927) reports:

WQYK Afternoon Drive Host Dave McKay and WWE's The Undertaker pose for a photo at our 2nd Annual Angelus Guitar Auction. Dave is holding a Brad Paisley guitar that sold for $2700 and The Undertaker is holding his guitar. WQYK designed most of the guitars at the auction and had artists and athletes autograph them. If you look closely at the Brad Paisley guitar you'll see that it is filled with beer. On the back of the guitar is a toilet seat that Brad also autographed.

In total the auction raised over $27,000 for The Angelus, a home for severely handicapped kids.